Economic partnership with Ukraine beneficial to Poland - EU commissioner
MOSCOW. Aug 4 (Interfax) - Poland benefits from its strategic economic partnership with Ukraine, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said.
"Poland exported goods worth around 14 billion euros to Ukraine and imported goods worth some 8.2 billion euros from the start of the crisis in 2022 and until the end of May 2023. Polish exports to Ukraine in 2023 will account for one-third of all EU exports, which is 2.5 times higher than Germany's results," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Wojciechowski as saying in a social media post.
Polish-Ukrainian relations should be seen not only as a strategic political partnership but also as "a strategic economic partnership, which is still very beneficial to Poland," he said.
However, "this does not change the fact that farmers' interests in these relations are in danger and require protection," the European commissioner said.
As reported, Poland's authorities, including Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Agriculture Minister Robert Telus, insist on extending the European Commission's restrictions on the import of wheat, rapeseed, maize and sunflower seed from Ukraine. If this initiative is not approved, Poland intends to impose a unilateral ban on Ukrainian agricultural imports and hopes that its steps may be supported by some of its neighbors. Along with Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania have opposed the import of agricultural products from Ukraine since April of this year.
During negotiations between Poland's Telus and Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Nikolai Solsky on August 2, the Polish side defended its demands, citing an increase in the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products, which stood at 114,000 tones in February 2023 but reached 260,000 tonnes in June.
The agriculture ministers agreed to discuss measures in the near future to simplify the transit of Ukrainian grain en route to seaports in a number of European countries. Ukraine is working on draft detailed solutions for collective discussion.
